Exvulnerum THE PHYSICAL BOOK??

[Zules]

It's taken me years to get from, "My webcomic is going to be web-exclusive! Forget print and optimize it for the website viewing experience only!" to "Oh hey maybe people would actually enjoy Exvulnerum in a physical format, so maybe I should try to make it happen." -- but at long last, here we are.

I think one of Exvulnerum's main draws is its length, so my vision for this first volume is to make it cover the entirety of the Prologue through CHAPTER THIRTEEN. (Excluding Dear Dzunas, which will remain web-exclusive.) That means it will truly be a brick of a book, hardcover, probably around 680 pages of full-color nonsense. That's a good 3x longer (or more) than many comic volumes... which means, it will also be 3x as expensive (or more)--but overall a fair price, I hope.

One of my other goals is to work with a worldwide distributor so that you can go to your local book/comic shop or local online store and request a copy without having to pay outrageous shipping prices to get it delivered to your residence. (No guarantees it'll work out this way, but I'm going to try to make it a possibility.)

I'm posting this thread to ask: Are there are bonus features, content, design suggestions, or other feedback you have for this first print edition? Keep in mind I can't include a lot of extra stuff because I need to keep the page count as low as possible, so the actual comic pages will take priority. But I'm wondering if there are some lovely gotta-haves you've seen in other comic books that you'd love to see in Exvulnerum's book! I'm in the planning phase now, so this is the time to make the big decisions about stuff like that! Thanks for any and all feedback & please don't contribute anything here that you don't want me to swoop in and try to monetize, lol, because that's totally my intention

 

[Oegyein]

It's taken me years to get from, "My webcomic is going to be web-exclusive! Forget print and optimize it for the website viewing experience only!" to "Oh hey maybe people would actually enjoy Exvulnerum in a physical format, so maybe I should try to make it happen." -- but at long last, here we are.

I think one of Exvulnerum's main draws is its length, so my vision for this first volume is to make it cover the entirety of the Prologue through CHAPTER THIRTEEN. (Excluding Dear Dzunas, which will remain web-exclusive.) That means it will truly be a brick of a book, hardcover, probably around 680 pages of full-color nonsense. That's a good 3x longer (or more) than many comic volumes... which means, it will also be 3x as expensive (or more)--but overall a fair price, I hope.

One of my other goals is to work with a worldwide distributor so that you can go to your local book/comic shop or local online store and request a copy without having to pay outrageous shipping prices to get it delivered to your residence. (No guarantees it'll work out this way, but I'm going to try to make it a possibility.)

I'm posting this thread to ask: Are there are bonus features, content, design suggestions, or other feedback you have for this first print edition? Keep in mind I can't include a lot of extra stuff because I need to keep the page count as low as possible, so the actual comic pages will take priority. But I'm wondering if there are some lovely gotta-haves you've seen in other comic books that you'd love to see in Exvulnerum's book! I'm in the planning phase now, so this is the time to make the big decisions about stuff like that! Thanks for any and all feedback & please don't contribute anything here that you don't want me to swoop in and try to monetize, lol, because that's totally my intention

Every book must come with a fancy replica crown as seen on Amber so that we may pretend to be the King of Pain as we read. Additionally, Also a 24k chalice so I may drink choccy milk to ease the pain of rereading chapter 13

 

[Zules]

Every book must come with a fancy replica crown as seen on Amber so that we may pretend to be the King of Pain as we read. Additionally, Also a 24k chalice so I may drink choccy milk to ease the pain of rereading chapter 13

Great ideas! You don't mind paying $4,800 per book, right?

 

[Zules]

Started the layout in Scribus today! Margins and trims and bleeds and stuff are all reeeeally intimidating Luckily I have @StickFreeks @sketchdoll and @Avidro to lend their advice and help!

Check out the first page; it's missing Evey's adorable chicken joke. Fun fact: when I originally drew these pages, they were all formatted as you see above; there was no chicken joke. I only added it in later to try and create a longer vertical scroll page on the website. For, uh, pacing? I sort of like it this old way, though.

 

[Zules]

Table of contents might be a good idea since the volume will cover so many chapters...? But I don't think I ever use TOC in a fiction book. Thoughts?

 

[CptCascadia]

use it, it would be helpful

 

[Zules]

Yeah, some people might want to turn straight to their favorite chapter, Chapter Thirteen!

 

[Oegyein]

Do we have a map of Amathae yet?

 

[Tee]

I really enjoy your comments on each page. I guess it would be hard or near impossible to include them all and have a reasonably sized book. Maybe some author commentary per chapter or something. Idk, I guess it's not usually something that comic books do.

 

[Zules]

Do we have a map of Amathae yet?

Funnily enough, I had to make one for Chapter 20, after years of avoiding it!

I really enjoy your comments on each page. I guess it would be hard or near impossible to include them all and have a reasonably sized book. Maybe some author commentary per chapter or something. Idk, I guess it's not usually something that comic books do.

I had the idea to put some author comments after each chapter in place of Dear Dzuna, but I'm not sure I trust myself to keep the comments short enough so as to not impede an archive (book) reader. But it is an idea...

I've seen some manga that do it, so I think it can work. I'll have to experiment.

AXE THROWING.

I have no idea why this was in my quote queue, but it was so here it is. The book will now contain schematics for building an Exvulnerum-themed axe--no!--guillotine.

 

[Zules]

Are we in love with the idea of including a map? Maps are hard to make look very nice

 

[Doc Seibel]

Are we in love with the idea of including a map? Maps are hard to make look very nice

I like the idea, but I could totally live without it.

 

[Zules]

I'm really giving the map a good, solid attempt--it may work out!

I also need to create a new cover for the prologue... Intimidating!

 

[Avidro]

I'm really giving the map a good, solid attempt--it may work out!

Can confirm, it looks pretty dang good so far!

 

[Zules]

Can confirm, it looks pretty dang good so far!

He's lying because he likes me.

 

[Avidro]

He's lying because he likes me.

I am not lying! And so what if I like you, B-BAKA!!

 

[Tee]

I like it and I can't even see it yet.

 

[Zules]

Aw shucks that made me want to post a preview!

The text is just slapped on, and I haven't added any other labels yet. I also need to double-check the geography, add some texture, and fix the contrast so that it doesn't hurt so much to look at?? MAPS ARE REALLY HARD Actually kinda fun too tho

 

[Oegyein]

I am not lying! And so what if I like you, B-BAKA!!

Ha! Avidro has a crush on Zules!

 

[Avidro]

Ha! Avidro has a crush on Zules!

If you examine my like history, I'd wager that a plurality of the likes I've given out have gone to Zules over the years